On Saturday, September 18, 2004, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, residents of neighborhoods throughout the city will join to tour revitalized green spaces and playgrounds in Shaw and parks and playgrounds that are threatened by development. After the tour, participants will meet at the new Kennedy Recreation Center to discuss the importance of retaining green spaces and play spaces; hear presentations by representatives of organizations whose work to transform the Westminster Playground and Kennedy Playground are models for citizen empowerment on this issue; and plan next steps in organizing to protect and support the improvement of parks and playgrounds citywide.

As real estate prices continue to skyrocket in DC, private and publicly-owned parks and similar spaces are under attack, and our children, our communities, and the environment are the losers. This year alone, the park at Capitol Park in Southwest was destroyed to build new apartment buildings. Stead Playground in Dupont Circle is threatened with construction of a new non-recreation center building. Old growth trees and fields are proposed to be replaced by an unneeded sports complex at Stoddert Park in Upper Northwest. And the heavily-used playing field and playground at Seaton Elementary School is Shaw, one of the neighborhoodâ€™s few green and play spaces, is threatened with replacement by 400 luxury condos.

Stead Playground, the field behind Seaton, and Stoddert Park are anything but underutilized. If these green place and play spaces are lost to development, they will never be restored.

If you are concerned about the threats to our neighborhoods and quality of life represented by development of these precious sites, come join us at the Westminster Playground, the tourâ™s starting point, on the 900 block of Westminster Street, NW, between 9th, 10th, S and T Streets, NW (METRO: Green Line—Shaw-Howard)